Change Is An Inevitable Thing
by iloveumbreon123
Summary: After being on Earth peacefully for a few years, life for King Satan and his friends is shaken by the sudden death of one of their own. Suddenly, an enemy capable of hurting or killing even them rises from the ranks of humanity, threatening to crush everything they've worked for. Rewrite of my old story, The Sad Story of King Satan.
1. The Devil Goes About Life As Usual

**_Here we are at last. I have finally gotten my lazy butt to make the long awaited revamp of my old story 'Sad Story of King Satan.' Along with it definitely needing a new and improved name, my old writing was sloppy and poorly done. I had almost none of the story planned out, and it showed. This story is in no way an exact replica of the original. It couldn't be, if I wanted it to be up to my standards. I believe I have grown as a writer in the years since I first started the story. Hopefully, after reading this you will too. And for clarification, I own neither show, or the manga they originate from._**

* * *

Most who came to a McRonalds expected terrible service from part-time teenage workers in an equally terrible mood. The locals in this area, however, had long since learned the difference between this McRonalds and others. The man who'd long become a constant figure at the front counters made sure of that. Who he was, or why he'd kept this job for as long as he had, nobody was completely sure. But for whatever reason, he was there every day. Sadao Mao, as his name tag proclaimed to any passerby that bothered to look, took his job seriously.

"Another order of a large black pepper fries and a medium peps!" Sadao yelled back into the kitchen. A young lady, about his age with light pink hair, nodded at his words. Just as Sadao was always there, so was Chiho Sasaki. While a good ways out of high school, she'd stayed in this job along with Sadao through university. With how long she'd been there, most regulars wondered how much longer before she went off to find something new.

Sadao and Chiho worked as an effortless team in the McRonalds kitchen (despite a few slip ups on Chiho's end. They were growing fewer and far between in comparison to years past, at least.) Orders came in and out almost as fast as they were taken down. Yes, regulars came to this McRonalds for a reason.

As the shadows grew long from the setting sun, the duo's shifts ended and they moved back into the staff room. "Hey Chiho! You want to come to our place for dinner?" Sadao asked, "Shiro finally managed to hold a job. We're inviting everyone over to celebrate,"

Chiho beamed, "Sounds fun!"

Packing up all their belongings, the two stepped out the door and into the street. The walk wasn't too far, and the two filled the time with lighthearted chatter. It wasn't that often Sadao had enough to host others at his house, especially with Hanzo Uruchihara bumming in the small space all the time. The idiotic boy, in all his time in the house, still had yet to get a job. If it weren't for his status as one of Sadao's old demon generals before they had come to Earth, Sadao would have almost certainly kicked him out by now.

Rounding the final curve to their destination, the pair walked up the rickety old staircase to Sadao's shabby shared apartment. The place hadn't changed much in the years since he and Shiro had originally began renting it, other than a few new nicer appliances and more comfortable beds. It wasn't much, but Sadao had become somewhat fond of the place.

Sadao reached out to the door handle, turning it gently. Without much effort, the door opened and the two stepped in. The familiar purple of the back of Hanzo's head greeted them. As usual, he had buried himself into some video game, refusing to help anyone with anything.

Shiro turned to the two newcomers with a smile, putting his long blond hair up into a ponytail. "Sire, Chiho, how was work?"

"Pretty normal," Chiho said, beaming back at the man. Sadao nodded in agreement.

"Nothing much happened," He said, "Nobody gave us any trouble for once," Another knock at the door caught their attention. Nearest to it, Chiho pushed it open.

"Hello," A redheaded girl stood out in the hall, hesitant to come in.

"I still don't understand why you invited her," Sadao grumbled to Shiro.

"Be nice! For most of our time here, she's been kind to us and even an ally at other times!" Shiro chided. Looking up at their visitor, he let a smile fall back on his face, "Welcome, Emi,"

"Thanks for inviting me," She said, shooting looks in Sadao's direction. The two mostly got along, but their old rivalries from his time as her mortal enemy never truly went away.

Shiro pulled a pot off the heat of the backburners of their stovetop. "And dinner is served!" The slight tension building in the room disappeared with the presence of food and full mouths. Time passed quickly, the room soon filling with a mix of loud chatter and booming laughter.

"I still can't believe you actually got a job!" Sadao burst out, grinning, "After all that time, you finally did it,"

"Three cheers for Shiro!" Chiho yelled, beaming. Shiro blushed slightly at the attention.

"How about some sake for the special occasion?" Sadao asked. Shiro stood, going to the cupboards to look for the small bottle they always kept. Not finding it in its usual place, he frowned. He was the only one who usually cooked in here. Where could it have gone?

"Did anyone drink the last of the sake?" He asked, glancing back at the others in the room. Hanzo stiffened suspiciously. Shiro sighed, "I'll go buy more," A shop that would be open at this time of night wasn't that far away. It wouldn't take that long to get there and back.

"No, let someone else do it," Sadao glared in Hanzo's direction. He had his suspicions on the culprit, and he wouldn't have his friend's special night ruined by a certain lazy demon's actions.

"It's alright sire," Shiro said, "The fresh air will be good for me. You stay here," Before the demon king could complain, Shiro grabbed his wallet and stepped out the door. The cool night air greeted him, washing the stuffy feeling of the apartment away from his mind. Descending the stairs out into the dark street, he set a slow pace towards his destination. He glanced upwards, watching the stars. It was definitely a nice night out. The peace was broken, however, by a figure appearing from the gloom just a second too late.

Shiro let out a gasp, shoved into an alleyway by the strange man's heavy blow. A flash of silver in the moonlight was the only warning he had before a sharp pain blossomed in his chest. Something buzzed in his head, trying to drown out everything. Shiro reached for his magic, but his sight blurred. The buzzing grew louder, pressing against his temple as the strange man yanked the knife blade from where it had embedded itself in him. His legs crumpled beneath him, black clawing into his vision. He had to… he…

* * *

 ** _I hope you liked the first chapter. Now to discuss some changes I made. From the beginning of remaking this, one thing was for certain. Younger me was ship-crazy. I tried to fit as many of my ships (and as a multi-shipper, I have many) into the plot as possible. Current me realizes that plan was terrible. Therefore, I cut that out entirely. Other than that, the first chapter stays mostly the same in composition, a bit of these character's daily lives followed by the death of a certain demon. No, I'm not taking that out. Fight me. I did trim off the ending I used in the original, since it in no way fit with the characters and was just shoehorned in there. Until next time, hope you read some good fanfics -Iloveumbreon123_**


	2. The Devil Deals With Emotions

_**So, uh, guess who's actually attempting an update schedule for this? So yeah. No promises, but I'm gonna attempt to update every Friday night. I've found I work best on a time limit, so go ahead and bug me if I don't stick to it... But yeah. I'm fairly happy with this chapter. There are some parts that annoy me, but if I didn't release it because of something like that, you'd never get a chapter. So yeah. Welcome to Chapter Two.**_

* * *

Sadao looked out the door yet again in hope of spotting his friend. Shiro still hadn't come back, and it had been almost two hours. Too long, in his eyes.

"He'll be back soon," Chiho said, casting him a reassuring smile. That had worked fine the first few times, but by now he was having trouble believing it was true. Sadao sighed, grabbing his jacket.

"I'm going to look for him," He said.

"Shiro can handle himself fine," Hanzo drawled out, not even bothering to turn from his screen. Sadao glared at the demon, before stepping out the door.

"It's been too long. Something feels… off. I'm going," The door slammed behind him.

"Wait for me!" Chiho yelled after him, darting after the demon king. Emi sighed, slowly getting up from her place in the room.

"Might as well," She grumbled, before following the other two out of the apartment and into the night air.

…

"Hey Shiro! Where are you?" Sadao called out, running through the streets of his neighborhood. He'd lost Chiho a few streets back, her unable to keep up with his now superhuman speed. After not finding Shiro anywhere between their apartment and the convenience store he'd been trying to reach, worry had been steadily building in his chest. Shiro never just… disappeared. He wouldn't.

"Stop this!" Emi raced up to his side, stopping him with a sudden yank to his arm. Sadao spun around, glaring at her. "Come on! This is helping no one," Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Just go home. If he's still no back sometime tomorrow, we can continue searching. For all you know, he's already back at your shabby apartment."

Sadao glared at her, but soon relented. What she said made sense. This searching was getting him nowhere. Shoulders dropping in defeat, he pushed her away and turned back in the direction he'd come.

"I'll tell Chiho you went home," Despite who she was, Sadao felt a sudden wave of gratefulness for his ex-rival. Shiro had been right. She really was kind to him.

"Thanks," He whispered, almost unintelligible. Emi nodded, and took off.

Slowly plodding back to his apartment, Sadao kept playing over his friend's disappearance. Where could he have gone? Mind clearing from its panicked haze, he went over every detail. Something must have happened between the their house and the store… They'd already gone and asked the employees if Shiro had been there, so he knew Shiro'd have had to have vanished between those two places. But what happened? Shiro was a demon! Not much could hurt him, let alone keep him from coming home.

Sadao walked up the stairs to his apartment, a brief moment of hope filling him. He opened the door. "Any luck?" He called into the room. Hanzo didn't even turn. Shiro was still gone.

…

A week passed with no sign of the missing demon. Each day they went looking, even dragging the authorities into the search. But nothing appeared.

Sadao sighed, anxiously watching the clock. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't just abandon work. However, he couldn't keep his mind on the task. His shift was almost done, and all he wanted was to go home. One last customer, and he'd be able to leave. Someone approached, giving their order. He barely heard them, going through the motions on reflex. Finally. Finally he could leave. He raced into the back room, gathering up his things and rushing out the door.

The walk home went by far too slowly, no matter how fast he went. Streets too long, lights taking too much time to turn. The sight of his familiar building was a relief. Taking the stairs two at a time, all he wanted was to put everything he brought to work away and go search. He turned the corner, and froze. A chill went down his spine. A large lump of fabric lay on the ground, a single piece of paper on top of it. Sadao cautiously stepped forward, picking up the note.

 _Leave This Place. You Do Not Belong Here._

 _Your 'Friend' Was Your Warning._

 _You Are Next._

 _You Have Twenty Four Hours._

Hands shaking, Sadao crouched down, gently taking the corner of the piece of fabric in his grip. Closing his eyes, he tugged back the fabric. He didn't want to look. It couldn't be.

Sadao opened his eyes, staring down at the body in front of him. He stumbled backwards, feeling sick. Shiro's unblinking eyes stared back at him. His body was unmoving, clothing tinted red with long-dried blood. Horror painted his frozen expression.

A lump built in Sadao's throat, tears threatening to spill down his face. Numb, he staggered to his feet and into the apartment. He- He couldn't even bring himself to consider what to do with the body.

Hanzo looked up at him from his place at his computer. "Are you gonna drag me outside to look again?" He asked, annoyance dripping from his tone.

Sadao just shook his head. He shut the door, sliding down to the floor. "He's dead," He choked out. Hanzo's expression morphed into one of shock.

"You can't be serious," Hanzo said, "Shiro's dead? How? He's- He's a demon! We can't just die the way humans do!" Sadao didn't hear him. He needed to get out. Forcing his legs to work, he bolted back out the door.

He barely made it a block before he had to stop, terror-frozen legs giving out on him. Crouching on the ground, he curled in on himself. Emotions flashed through his body, one barely gone before a new would come to take its place. Immobilizing fear. Soul wrenching sorrow. Boiling hatred.

He'd had demons die under his watch before, but nothing like this. Somewhere during his time on Earth he'd started to deeply care about his comrades. It wasn't the same anymore. They weren't just subjects. They were his friends. Equals. Somehow, that hurt so much more.

A sob wracked through his body, tears rolling down his face. They wouldn't stop, the ever-so-human liquid spilling out along with his roiling emotions.

His emotions finally leveling out to the point he could actually control his sobs, Sadao reached into his bag for his phone. Taking it out with wobbly hands, he typed in a number he'd barely used before. It rang for a few moments before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi," He choked out, "We found him. And I need your help with something,"

* * *

 ** _Thank you so much to those of you who have been reading and commenting on my story. It means a lot to me when that happens, since it shows me people might actually care about my work. I always get so excited when someone does. Trust me, your comments make my day._**

 ** _So, on to what I've changed. It's a lot. The original chapter was really short, and mostly filled with BS I just threw in there to make the story move forward in one way or another. Since this time I have an actual goal in mind (and an actual thought out plot) the chapter ended up very different. I've decided to completely take out that whole thing about Satan getting captured in this one, since it only really served a purpose in the old story and in here would just clutter up what I've got planned. I hope you like this second chapter better, because I certainly do._**

 ** _So yeah. Chapter two. With luck, this'll be finished 9 weeks from now, and no surprises will lengthen or shorten it. We'll see. Either way, thanks for reading and I'll hopefully see you back here next week!_**


	3. The Hero Proves to Be Extremely Helpful

**_Hello again everyone! Welcome to the third chapter of this fanfic. I really don't have much to say about it, so just have fun reading!_**

* * *

Emi Yusa sprawled out on her bed, exhausted from her long day at work. Despite not exactly being on good terms with a certain group of nearby demons, she couldn't help but think back to Shiro's disappearance. While the man was a demon, it was hard to call him 'evil,' necessarily, since he'd gotten to earth. He'd neither done anything illegal nor hurt any mortals. In fact, he and Sadao were even helping to contribute to human society. She didn't hate him. He still was a demon though, and truly that fact was what bothered her most. What, or who, in this world was so powerful they could make a demon disappear? It just didn't make sense. This world just didn't have the kind of technology to combat demons that Ente Isla did. They just didn't have the need to develop it. She covered her face with her arms, letting out a sigh. Contemplating this would solve nothing. Emi rolled over onto her side; she needed sleep.

A shrill ring echoing through the room pushed any thoughts of rest from her mind. Hauling herself to her feet, she crossed the room to where she'd left her it up, she frowned when she saw the number. "What could he want?" She grumbled, pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi," Sadao said, voice gravelly, "We found him. And I need your help with something,"

"You found Shiro? Is he alright?"

"He-" He paused, choking back what sounded like a sob. Was he... crying? "Just- come over here,"

Under normal circumstances, she'd object; not wanting to go into the home of her enemy (but where they even really her enemy anymore?) without explanation, but this… this didn't sound like normal circumstances. "I'll be there soon," She said, hanging up the phone. Something was wrong. Crying was a weakness. There had to be a good reason that he was showing weakness to her of all people… Shoving her phone and wallet in her pocket, she ran out the door of her apartment.

…

Sadao leaned up against the walls of his apartment building, not wanting to go up the stairs and deal with what lied at the top. He closed his eyes, trying to think of anything but what had happened.

The sound of footsteps made him finally look up. Emi stood above him. "So will you finally tell me why I'm here?" She said, a slight hint of worry in her tone.

It took him a moment to find words. "Follow me," He murmured, pushing himself to his feet. He plodded up the stairs, legs like lead. Emi's eyes widened as they rounded the corner.

"Oh," She whispered, finally seeing what had caused Sadao to act like he was. The tarp, never having been put back in its place, lay in a pile by Shiro's limp form. "Is he?"

"Dead," Sadao finished, voice cracking. "Can- can you help me bury him somewhere? There's no way Hanzo would help…"

"Where would we even bury him?" She asked, "We're in the middle of the city… would we even be able to move him?"

"I don't know," Sadao said, not lifting his eyes from the ground, "But we can't just leave him here…"

The two sat in silence, not sure what to do. Finally, Emi spoke up. "It seems wrong to do, but… I think I have an idea," Sadao's gaze shot to her.

"What is it?"

"We-" She paused, "We could put his body in the trash bin out front,"

"No!"

"Do we really have much of a choice?" Emi said, "If we did it right, he wouldn't be found. We can't exactly deal with this world's legal system right now, none of our papers are real!" Sadao nodded, heart sinking. She was right. There really wasn't much of a choice.

The two gently wrapped Shiro's body back up in the tarp. Sadao couldn't keep his hands from shaking. This just felt… wrong. Shiro was his friend. He didn't deserve to go the same way any old piece of trash would. But they didn't have a choice. Other than using their powers, they couldn't easily move his body. After something like this, they couldn't go changing their forms unless their lives depended on it. Sadao picked up his end of the tarp, Emi at the other side. Between the two of them, they slowly carried the body down the stairs and to the building's trash bin. With an unceremonious thump, Shiro's tarp wrapped form dropped into its depths.

Sadao took a step back, trying to push his emotions to the back of his mind. There was something far more important than grief that they had to deal with. Digging in his pocket, he thrust out the note that had been delivered with Shiro. "Read this," He said dully.

Emi took the scrap of paper from his outstretched hand, reading it over quickly. "Are you going to listen to them?" She demanded, eyes going wide.

"I- No." He made up his mind. The question had been churning in his head since he'd first read the paper. If they stayed, they could get hurt, possibly killed. But if they left… He couldn't just let these people get away with Shiro's murder. "Whoever made the mistake of messing with demons… They'll pay for what they did."

…

Hanzo sat alone in the apartment, bored out of his mind. There was nothing to do here! Sure, yesterday had been a shock, but ever since Sadao had found Shiro's corpse outside their apartment, he'd been silent. And now, he was at work. There was no one to annoy. All alone in the apartment, it was hard to entertain himself. He sighed, flopping down on the floor.

There were only so many times he could count the cracks on the ceiling before it got so obnoxiously repetitive that it wasn't even a distraction. This was all so frustrating!

A loud bang wrenched him out of his thoughts. He jerked upwards, looking around the room. Everything was the same as it had always been. He sighed. So much for the hope of a distraction. Before he could lie back down, however, a second bang echoed through the room. Cracks had begun to spread out along the surface of the door.

Hanzo slowly got to his feet, cracking his knuckles. Letting his magic creep out, he moved towards the door. Finally. Something exciting.

With one final crunching noise, the door shattered and chunks of wood flew around the room. Wings fully out, Hanzo shot forward. He swung his fist at the invading human. Before he could even comprehend what was going on, however, a sword swung forward. He stopped in his tracks, blood welling in the gash in his chest. Stumbling backwards, he let out a gasp of pain.

The man in the doorway charged forward, sword held high and ready to swing. Hanzo turned, running straight into a window. The glass shattered around him as he fell. With a crunch he hit the ground, pain lancing through his body. Hanzo groaned, dragging himself forward. Why wasn't he healing? He reached for his magic, but nothing happened.

He- he needed to hide. Pulling himself along the ground, he felt his wings fade back into nothingness. He was just human again. Ahead of him sat the large trash bin that everyone from the apartments used. As quickly as he could manage, he pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled forward, collapsing behind the bin. He curled inward, scrunching his eyes shut. What was going on?

* * *

 _ **Aww yeah! Look at that. Turns out giving myself deadlines really helps to make me get these chapters out regularly. This one was interesting to write. It was kind of weird switching points of view as much as I did, but I just hope it didn't end up too clunky because of it. Tell me what you think, and especially if you have any pointers to handle pov switches better.**_

 _ **Okay, completely off topic because I need to rant about the evil that are robot babies. My little sister is currently taking a child development class, and they have to care for these tiny demon spawn robot babies. It activated tonight, and guess who was the only person home? Me. It screams so loudly. Eeeeevvvviiiiiiiilllllllll**_

 _ **Back on topic, the changes I made to this chapter. This chapter was made completely differently than the original. It had to be, since the original was about an event that never happened in this thing. I really didn't like the old one. What do you all think of the new chapter? I'd love to hear in the comments below.**_


	4. The Devil Tries To Keep It Together

**_I'm back again! I hope everyone's been doing pretty well this week. We had an awesome snow storm where I live the other day. This place rarely gets snow, so I was really happy to see it. Anyways. Have fun reading!_**

* * *

Sadao turned the last corner to his apartment. He'd been given permission to go home from work early. He'd never really taken time off before, so when he'd asked permission his manager had quickly accepted. Something had felt… off all day. It hadn't seemed right to stay at work.

Parking his bike, he turned around and froze. Dark purple feathers littered the ground around the building, surrounded by glass shards and flecks of red. Sadao took a hesitant step forward, not sure he wanted to see the sight he might be greeted with. He knew those feathers. He'd fought beside their owner, and against him. It wouldn't be easy to forget something so strikingly colored. Finally getting his legs to respond, he sprinted up the stairs to his apartment. He'd- he'd be there. It had to be a misunderstanding. Everything would be fine.

The first thing he saw were the remnants of the door hanging limply off of its frame. Pieces of wood had been scattered across the room. Sadao's heart sped up as he saw the most noticeable disturbance in the room. Splotches of blood led a trail across the room, right to their shattered window. Heart in his throat, he spun back around and dashed down the stairs.

Sadao stepped out onto the feather covered ground. "Hanzo?" He croaked out. He cleared his throat, voice growing louder and more desperate, "Hanzo!"

A low groan echoed from the small space behind the apartment's trash bins. Sadao ran towards the sound, all caution forgotten. Squeezing around the side of the metal bins, he looked down and his blood ran cold. Hanzo was curled in on himself, blood matting the front of his shirt. Sadao shakily reached out his hand, touching the demon's side. He was so still…

Hanzo's hand moved stiffly from where it lay, batting weakly at whoever had tried to touch him. He hadn't survived this long just to let that idiotic human who'd came after him to just kill him now. But it was so hard to get his limbs to work. There'd been something weird about that blade that cut him. It was like it sapped everything out of him.

"Hanzo!" A familiar voice called, muffled by the buzzing in his head. Was that...Sadao? It couldn't have been long enough for him to get home, but… Hanzo tried to force his voice to work.

"Sa… dao?" He asked weakly, unable to get out anything else. He was so tired… It'd be so much easier to just close his eyes. But no! That would be the same as giving up. He refused to do that.

An arm pushed under his body, pulling him to his feet. Hanzo let out a low whine of pain, the movement stretching the wound on his stomach. "Come on. We're getting you inside," Sadao muttered, taking a step forward. Hanzo clenched his teeth, trying to keep silent as each of Sadao's steps caused a new throb of pain to lance through his body.

The stairs were a whole new obstacle. Sadao finally gave in two steps up and drew at his magic; not enough to fully change forms, but he needed the extra strength. His weak human body couldn't easily lift another human. Magic flowing through his muscles, he lifted Hanzo into his arms. Sadao kept his eyes off the injured demon's chest. He wasn't sure he wanted to see the damage.

Finally back in the wrecked apartment, he pulled out one of their sleeping mats. Thankfully they'd been stored away that morning and had escaped being sprayed with splinters and blood. Sadao carefully set Hanzo on the mat. He mentally braced himself, reaching down. Hanzo's shirt stuck to his body as Sadao pulled it back. The open wound stared back at him from where it lay on Hanzo's chest. It seemed to sizzle, the skin around it looking almost… burnt? The wound blazed red, a heat radiating from its surface.

The effects were somewhat familiar. He'd seen it before, in the terrible wounds caused by holy weapons back in Ente Isla. A wound this size, though, shouldn't have sapped this much from a demon. But they weren't demons right now, were they. Just demon enough to count to the holy weapon that had done this, but not enough to heal the way they used to.

Sadao tried to keep his hands from shaking as he pulled out their first aid kit. He couldn't stop the effects of the holy weapon, but maybe… maybe he could stop the bleeding. Opening the first aid kit's lid, he fished out their small bit of gauze and bandages. It would probably be enough for now. Carefully, he tried his best to pour antiseptic on the gash, but the shriek that came of the injured demon's mouth as it touched the broken flesh stopped him. He gently pressed the gauze down against the wound, trying his best to ignore Hanzo's gasps of pain. Working quickly, he wrapped the bandages around Hanzo's stomach. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. Hanzo's body was littered with smaller wounds (bruises and cuts, only made worse by the remaining presence of glass), but they would have to be dealt with later. This house wasn't safe.

Sadao picked up his phone, once again dialing in Emi's number. It rang a few times, but finally she picked up. "Sadao? Did something happen?"

"They broke into my apartment," He said, voice shaking.

"What do you mean, they?" She asked, tone sharp.

"I- I think it's the same people who killed Shiro," Sadao's voice cracked, "They tried to kill Hanzo too,"

"I'll be right over," Emi's tone surprised Sadao. She seemed so earnestly ready to help. Then again, was that really so surprising anymore? She'd been there more for him in the last few days than anyone else really had. He wasn't sure when it had started, but they weren't exactly enemies anymore.

She was there within half an hour. Her feet pounded up the stairs with an unmistakable fervor that only Emi could have. Sadao got to his feet, casting aside the first aid kit he'd been gripping. He'd been trying to dig out the glass that'd embedded itself into Hanzo's body, but he hadn't had much luck. She stopped in her tracks at the door, seeing the wrecked apartment for the first time.

"You need to get somewhere safe," She said as she finally got her voice working again. Sadao nodded.

"But how can we get him anywhere?" He asked quietly, gesturing at Hanzo's still form.

"Can he be carried?"

"I… Yes. But he's badly wounded. I'm not sure how he'd do…" Sadao shook his head, "But we need to leave. We have to risk it," Emi nodded, stepping towards where Hanzo lay.

"We can bring him back to my apartment. It- it should be safe," Sadao kept himself from speaking up. They needed the place to stay, no matter how strange he still thought it was for her to offer it.

Between the two of them they managed to carefully maneuver Hanzo down the stairs and out into the street. With constant reminding from Sadao, the only partially lucid demon was able to just barely keep his feet under him.

A prickle of unease ran down Sadao's spine. They were being watched. He was sure of it. The faint echo of cautious footsteps behind them seemed to cement the idea in his head. "Emi," He whispered, trying to catch her attention, "I think someone's following us,"

Emi's head shot up at Sadao's words. Stiffening, she ever so slowly turned her head. A man stood maybe 10 meters back, partially hidden from their sight. His eyes were clearly on the trio. "I think you're right," She replied, keeping her voice low, "Follow my lead,"

Sadao struggled to keep up as Emi lengthened her strides. Practically carrying Hanzo by this point, they finally arrived at the subway station that would take them to Emi's home.

The trio quickly ducked into the station, heading straight for the route that they'd have to catch. Despite their strange appearance, it wasn't hard for them to pay for their fare and get out onto the platform. Emi glanced backwards yet again, but she couldn't see their pursuer through the crowd of people trying to get home. "I think we lost him," She whispered to Sadao. He nodded, pulling Hanzo along with him as they finally got aboard their subway car.

Once again, they seemed to go fairly unnoticed. But then again, the cars were packed full and strange people were all too common on the subways. Sadao kept alert, eyes roaming back and forth along the crowds of people. Any of them could be an enemy. Thankfully, the ride was uneventful. Finally at their stop, Sadao and Emi pulled Hanzo out of the station and into the streets. Too paranoid to try to even look back, the two made a dash for Emi's building.

As the door to the apartment slammed behind them, Sadao's pulse finally stopped racing. He let out a sigh, grip on Hanzo loosening enough for the injured demon to slump ungracefully to the floor.

"We're- we're safe," He choked out, turning to Emi. She nodded, breath beginning to even out.

"But now what?"

* * *

 ** _I actually had a lot of fun writing most of this chapter. The second half was kind of lacking, but that's also because something else was planned there but it didn't work due to just how injured a certain character ended up... Either way, it's finished now. I'm really looking forward to writing some of the upcoming chapters. It'll be fun to torture you all..._**

 ** _But anyways. I know I've been writing here about the changes I've been making to the old story so far, but at this point we won't really go back to any events the original story had in it. As of this point, we've sort of caught up to the old one in a way. So I'll not be doing any more comparisons._**

 ** _So yeah. I hope everyone has a good week, and good luck with future fanfiction findings!_**


	5. The Devil Gets A Bit Paranoid

_**Hey guys! I'm back again. I really don't have much to say right now, so enjoy reading!**_

* * *

Sadao stared up at the ceiling. A clock sat on the wall, its ticking emphasized by the looming silence that filled the room. He was too tired to do anything but lie there. Despite his exhaustion, however, he couldn't sleep. His mind was racing, going over every detail of what had gone on. There had to be some hint of who these people were. It was so much harder to fight an enemy they didn't even know the identity of.

He let out a sigh. He'd never expected enemies from this world's population. They were all so clueless, it just seemed strange to him that they'd put together the dots on what he couldn't be someone from Ente Isla, could it? No other portals had opened in years. It just seemed strange for someone to try to come over now. However… those weapons were awfully similar to the kind of things that the humans from Ente Isla would use against his demons.

Sadao tried to push his thoughts to the back of his head, rolling over onto his side. The couch he'd collapsed on soon after arriving at Emi's apartment might not have necessarily been that comfortable, but he was just so tired… Eyes drifting shut, he finally succumbed to the peaceful lull of sleep.

…

Sadao woke with a gasp, breath heaving. He shot frantic looks around the room, trying to find the phantom threats his mind had conjured up in his sleep. Seeing nothing, the rational part of his mind finally began to take over. It had been a dream. Despite his new revelation, the conjured up memories of the dream stayed with him. The sting of metal in skin, then the image of a head of ever so familiar blond hair. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaky breath evening out.

He turned his head, looking out the large window that overlooked the city. It was still dark. Not even the faintest splotches of color lit the dark horizon. Sadao flopped backwards. He closed his eyes again, trying to bring himself to sleep. As soon as his eyes slid shut however, the images of his dream would fill his mind.

Letting out a groan, Sadao gave up on the idea. It seems the world wouldn't even let him sleep peacefully anymore. Might as well make himself useful. He forced himself to his feet, looking around the apartment warily. He hadn't been to the place much before, but it was definitely better looking than his own. It wasn't the right time to admire the apartment though. A thought had occurred to him, one that his exhaustion addled mind had somehow overlooked the night before. There had been a man following them to the subway station. They'd thought they'd lost him in the crowds, but had they really?

Sadao began to pace, back and forth, beside the door. They could know where he was right now. How had he not thought of this? Any number of them could have stormed the place while he slept. Horror grew in his mind. Before he hadn't been able to sleep, but now he refused to. These people were clearly dangerous. They'd already severely injured one of his demons, and even killed another! He had to be on alert. Anything could happen at any moment.

Even as his eyelids grew heavy he struggled to keep them open. Somehow he felt even more exhausted than before he'd fell asleep. The sun had finally begun to peak above the horizon, casting its golden rays around the room. He squinted against the light, pacing finally beginning to falter. It was becoming difficult to control his body perfectly, tiredness making his thoughts fuzzy. Movements growing less and less coordinated, his foot smacked into the side of the couch. With a crash, he crumpled to the ground. Sadao knew he should get up. He had to get back up. He needed to keep everyone safe. But he was so tired… Hurried footsteps echoed through the house as Emi raced across the apartment. Sadao looked up blearily.

"What happened?! I heard a crash-" Emi called, voice tense. She came to a stop in front of him, looking down. She knelt down, hand held out as if she wasn't sure if she should do anything. "...Is everything alright?" She finally said.

"I… I need to stay up. They could come back," He said, voice warped by exhaustion. Emi let out a sigh, hauling him to his feet.

"You need to keep it together," She muttered. Pulling him back to the couch, she pushed him back onto it. "Now stay there," She said crossly, "You need sleep,"

"We need... safe," He murmured, still struggling to keep his eyes open.

"I'll keep watch, if it matters that much to you," She said, letting out a sigh, "Just sleep. You'll need energy if anything happens," Finally, Sadao gave up the battle against his exhaustion. She'd handle it fine. Within seconds, he'd drifted off.

…

Sadao woke for the second time to the sound of murmuring voices. His sleep had thankfully been dreamless. Slowly raising his head, he looked around. Emi sat at her table, a very worse-for-wear looking Hanzo beside her. He still looked a little out of it, but at least he was awake. Remembering Shiro's lifeless form, he shuddered. Yes, there was much worse things than a few injuries.

"Sadao!" Emi called to him, beckoning him over, "We all need to talk," Getting to his feet, he hesitantly walked over to the table and took a seat.

"What is it?" He asked, somewhat wary of the answer.

"We… we need to talk about what to do about these people trying to go after you two," She gestured towards him and Hanzo, "We can't just sit around and wait for them to try to kill you,"

"What do you even have to do with it?" Hanzo snapped, "They're not trying to kill you,"

She let out a sigh, "No, they're not trying to kill me. I ended up being seen with you two though, and to someone who seriously wants to hunt you two down that kind of thing brings their attention to me. It'd be better if they were just dealt with," Hanzo still glowered at her.

"But do we even have any idea what to do?" Sadao asked, "We barely know anything about them!"

Emi bit her lip, looking torn. "It's just… maybe we should…"

"Spit it out!" Hanzo said, barely keeping himself from yelling. His hostility radiated from him. Sadao's stomach churned at his reaction. They needed Emi's help. Hanzo couldn't ruin that. For some reason, the thought of asking Emi for help didn't sting his pride like it would have even just a few days ago…

"Maybe you should leave like they said to," She murmured. Sadao's heart sunk. Somehow, he'd been expecting it. Before Hanzo could voice his evident protest, Sadao spoke up.

"I'm still not entirely sure it's a good idea," He said, "But it might be our only option…"

Emi nodded, "That's what I was thinking,"

"However," Sadao continued, "I only want to leave if it's our only option." His expression hardened into one of determination. "I… I still do want to stay here."

"I don't like it," Hanzo grumbled.

"Alright. Then that's settled," Emi said, "Until we make a final decision, however, we need to stay prepared. These people clearly know what they're doing. We need to keep alert,"

"Someone should keep watch for these people at all times," Sadao added. Emi nodded, giving him an unsure smile. They'd manage. They had to.

* * *

 _ **It felt so weird having this chapter as short as it was... But either way, it's slightly filler. Sorry. Anyways, I'm really excited for next chapter. I've been waiting to write it since I first made the outline of this rewrite. It wasn't something originally planned for the old story, but it fits quite well into this one. But yeah. I hope you liked the chapter. I'd really appreciate comments, if anyone was willing to take the time to do so. Seeing your comments really brightens my day. Alright. That's all from me, so until next time!**_


	6. The Devil's Paranoia Is Well-Deserved

_**So, uh, I guess technically this went up on a Saturday instead of Friday? But you know what, midnight's close enough. For some reason my mind kept forgetting it was Friday today... It just kept happening over and over again. Welp, at least the chapter exists. I hope you all like it, despite its lack of extreme length. Next one should be a good bit longer... I can't wait to write it. This wasn't exactly edited well, what with me being extremely sleep deprived, so if you see any mistakes in grammar feel free to help me out there and tell me.**_

* * *

Sadao tensed, another random noise breaking the silence around him. He twisted around rapidly, heart racing in his chest. It had been nothing. The day had passed fairly uneventfully so far. Despite the little bit of growing hope in his mind, however, he knew better than to think they were safe. These people had found them time and time again; it would be stupid to think they couldn't do it yet again.

Finally convinced the sound meant nothing, he tried to relax. He and Emi had been sharing the task of keeping guard all afternoon, and now it was his turn. Hanzo had been deemed too injured to help them with this; he needed the rest too much in their minds. Unless by some miracle they'd lost these dangerous people, he'd need any energy he could get.

As the sun lowered in the sky, his eyelids tried to follow. The few hours of sleep he'd gotten the night before were not enough. Exhaustion weighed his limbs down, numbing his senses. It was just so, so tempting to lay down. He shook his head, fighting off the tiredness. Staring at the door intently, he focused his whole mind on the task at hand.

Finally, footsteps broke him from his concentration. He whipped his head up, relaxing once it finally processed in his mind who was there. Emi stood over him, pulling up a chair of her own.

"I can take over now," She said, giving him a weak smile. Sadao let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," He whispered, dragging himself to his feet. He barely made it to the couch before the dark of sleep took over his mind.

…

Sadao shot awake, heart racing. His gaze darted around rapidly, taking in his surroundings. Oh. Another nightmare. After the one he'd had the night before, he should have expected it. He let out a shuddering sigh, leaning back down. For some reason, the memory of this dream eluded him. It seemed achingly familiar. He closed his eyes. Hopefully he could get back to sleep.

Shifting around into a more comfortable position, he waited for the familiar lull of sleep to retake him. However, something seemed… off to him. Pausing his movements, he let his senses reach out. He froze, heart picking up speed. A dull scraping sound echoed through the building, too faint to hear by any normal standards. Footsteps. Slowly rising to his feet, Sadao moved the short distance to Emi's side.

"You… you hear that too, don't you," He murmured. The words were unnecessary, however. Her body language said everything. She stared intently at the door, on high alert.

"Wake up Hanzo," She whispered, voice sharp with worry. He nodded, spinning back around. As quietly as he could possibly manage, he tiptoed through the hallways. Hanzo had been forced into taking the bedroom. While the demon didn't outwardly show it, Sadao could tell he was grateful; or at least, he was as grateful as the stubborn demon could bring himself to be.

Carefully pushing the bedroom door open, Sadao cringed as it let out a loud creak. He swiftly made his way towards the bed, Hanzo's sleeping form sprawled out across it. With a shove from Sadao, the other demon sprung awake. Sadao's hand shot to Hanzo's mouth, keeping him from making a sound. He shot Sadao a glare. Before he could protest more, however, Sadao spoke up.

"Someone's here," He whispered, trying to keep his hand from shaking. Whether the quaking was from anger or fear, he wasn't completely sure. Hanzo's eyes widened. The demon carefully pushed himself up, wincing slightly as the motion pulled at his unhealed wound.

"What are we going to do?" Hanzo asked, voice barely a whisper. As he pulled himself to his feet, Sadao carefully moved back towards the hallway. He paused a moment before looking back.

"Whatever we have to,"

With those words, the two demons walked silently back to the doorway. Emi still stood exactly where he'd left her, hand now holding a small kitchen knife. The footsteps had drawn much nearer. Sadao let his magic prickle to the top of his skin. He'd definitely need it for this fight.

With almost no warning, the door shattered. Emi shot forward, knife in hand. Before the first person could move an inch, the blade struck true. With a groan of pain, one of the waiting men stumbled backwards; a trickle of blood had begun to emerge from the newly opened gash in his arm.

The brief attack was not enough. Within seconds, the enemy was upon them. All dressed in strange clothing and armed to the teeth, the group flung Emi to the side.

Sadao let his magic bubble to the surface. These were the people who'd killed Shiro, who'd hurt Hanzo. They would pay, he'd make sure of it. As the first swing of a blade neared, he vanished. Reappearing behind the one who'd tried to harm him, Sadao let out a burst of energy. The man's body collapsed to the floor. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Sadao turned back to his enemies, letting loose attack after attack as the swarm of bodies moved forward.

However, nothing good can last forever. Sadao could perform his magic with ease, but the energy to fuel it was fast draining. As his attacks grew weaker, the fear energy around him grew less and less. His enemy was growing cocky.

Sadao looked around, enemies still pouring in the room in what seemed like an endless stream. He'd have to end this bubbled in his palms. He'd have to be careful. It wouldn't be good to involve anyone else in this one.

"Emi! Hanzo! Du-" His warning was cut short as a jolt of pain ran through his chest. With one last heave, he sent the magic flying outward.

Sadao looked down, his world spinning. Silver shone from his chest, ringed with crimson. He fell to the floor, legs giving out. His head buzzed. He curled in on himself, not daring to touch the sword where it lay embedded in his chest. The pain burned through his body, yet he couldn't bring himself to scream. As his world went black, he let out a sigh of relief. The pain faded, and his eyes slid shut. At least… at…

…

Sadao slowly opened his eyes. As his memories returned, he shot to his feet. How was he alive? He looked around. His friends sat near the door, huddled near a body. He took a step towards them

"What's going on?" He asked, reaching out. Neither spoke. "Hey! What's going-" The words stopped as his hand reached Emi's shoulder. Or more, reached through it.

"That won't work, sire," An achingly familiar voice rang through the air. Sadao spun around. It couldn't be. There was no way it could be true. "Believe me, I tried,"

Shiro.

* * *

 _ **;)**_


	7. The Devil Finds That All Is Not Lost

_**So, uh, hello again? Once again I'm putting this up at a time that's technically not Friday... Eh. 16 minutes too late, good enough. I had a lot of stuff this afternoon, and only found the time to finish up this chapter within the last few hours. I've been waiting for this part of the story... Anyways, read on!**_

* * *

"Shiro… You," Sadao was lost for words. He couldn't believe his eyes. His blond haired friend gave him a smile, taking a step closer.

"I'm here," Shiro whispered, reaching out towards Sadao. He may not have been visible to those on Earth since his 'death', but he'd seen. He'd watched his master's pain. Shiro pulled Sadao into a hug, scrunching his eyes shut. It'd been so hard, watching him suffer and being unable to help. But he was here now. He'd make the most of it.

"You're alive," Sadao choked out. He pressed his face into the other demon's shoulder, trying his best to hold back tears. Once again, his emotions were a mess. His mind almost couldn't comprehend what was right in front of him, and yet… He could hear Shiro's heartbeat, feel his skin. It had to be real. It just had to.

Sadao let out a deep breath, letting himself revel in the reality of his friend for one more moment, before pulling back. "Where are… what's going on?" He asked, looking back at the place where Emi and Hanzo sat. He squinted at the two. Why couldn't he touch them? For that matter, why couldn't they hear him? On second glance, he noticed something strange. Everything around him looked… hazy? A somewhat shimmery layer enveloped everything but himself and Shiro.

"I don't know…" Shiro replied, "All I know is they," He pointed to Emi and Hanzo, "Can't sense us in any way. I… I tried so hard to get you to realize I was here… I'd know," Sadao nodded, not sure how to respond.

"There's got to be a way," He finally said, trying to keep his eyes off of the body that Emi and Hanzo were huddled around. His body. It was only his own heartbeat in his chest that kept him from assuming the worst.

"Maybe," Shiro whispered, smiling gently, "And I'm sure if there is, you can find it."

…

Emi stared down at the body in front of her, stunned. He couldn't be dead. No way. And yet here the evidence sat in front of her, already much too deathly pale for anyone among the living.

"No," Hanzo whispered, at some point having come up beside her. The demon's usual cynical attitude had washed away, replaced with horror at the sight in front of him. "It's not real. It can't be," His voice cracked. He reached forward, smacking Sadao in the side of the head. "Come on you idiot!" He yelled, shaking with fear and anger, "You're not dead!" He couldn't move. These people had already tried to kill him once, and now they managed to kill the most dangerous demon in existence? What could he do against that?

Emi finally brought herself to speak. "We need to leave," She whispered, trying to look anywhere except at the body in front of her, "There's nothing else we can do," If they stayed, chances were they'd probably die too. Even without being a demon herself, she couldn't feel safe in the situation. These people hadn't cared about her livelyhood at all. All they had wanted to do was get rid of their targets, no matter what it had done to her.

"Leave Earth?" Hanzo asked, voice quavering, "Can we even summon a portal right now?"

She paused. He, loathe she was to admit it to the less than savory demon, had a point. Both of them had exhausted their limited magic supply. She wasn't sure she could even summon a portal if she tried. "Then at least away from the city," She said, "With luck, we can bide our time until we can recharge our magic," Hanzo nodded at her words. And so the plan was set.

…

Sadao followed the shimmering forms of his friends aimlessly as they hurriedly packed, taking as little as they could. He'd tried his best to avoid the entrance room, however. There was something extremely unsettling about the sight of his own body crumpled on the ground. After some debate between the two, it seemed Emi and Hanzo had ended up agreeing to wait to leave until dawn.

Everything seemed so surreal. From the strange world surrounding him to Shiro himself following close behind Sadao everywhere he went. It almost felt like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. He wasn't quite which quite yet.

Finally, Emi and Hanzo had finished their preparations. They left the apartment as quickly as they could possibly manage, Sadao and Shiro following behind unnoticed. It was strange, following the two through the forming crowds, as no matter what Sadao tried every few seconds he'd phase through some person or another. The sensation of going through someone else's body was a strange one. Not necessarily uncomfortable, but strange. There was… almost a pull in each body, trying to drag him somewhere. The pull wasn't that powerful, but it was there.

Worse than the pull, however, was the silence. They could still here the world around them, of course, but it was muffled. Everyone sounded much farther away than they were. It was unnerving. The city streets were always a bustling, loud place at this time of day. It just seemed so strange to have this much quiet.

The subways were both better and worse than the streets above. There was no room for the bodiless demons. The two sat as still as they could, taking up any empty space they could find. Time went on and on, and Emi and Hanzo had yet to get off.

Finally, the group reached the farthest out stop. Emi and Hanzo hurried out into the daylight, followed as always by the unseen forms of their friends. The two moved as inconspicuously as they could, making their way to the trains that ran to surrounding areas. Two tickets later, and the second leg of their journey had begun. Just outside the train, Sadao paused. He turned, scanning the platform. A small group of people had gathered at the back of the station, staring conspicuously back in his direction. His blood ran cold. They couldn't have been followed all the way here, could they?

Sadao turned to Shiro, nodding towards the suspicious group. His resolve hardened. "We've got to find a way to tell them."

…

Emi stared out the window of the train car they'd been directed to. They'd been on the train for what seemed like hours. However, it wasn't enough. They had to get as far away as possible. The familiar city landscape had begun to peter out to a more natural setting.

Her attention was pulled from the window by a prickling sensation crawling up her spine and filling her with unease. She cautiously looked around. While she'd only felt relief when they'd initially stepped on the train, that calm had been slowly trickling away as time went on. Near the back of the train car, a pair of eyes stared back at her. Emi stiffened. They were being watched.

"Follow me," She hissed out between clenched teeth. She got to her feet, Hanzo not far behind. She wasn't particularly sure why he'd followed directions without complaint this time, but she wouldn't complain. It was more than helpful at the moment.

Without even glancing at the group of people that had been looking at them, she sped farther back through the train. The next stop wasn't far ahead. They just had to stay safe until then.

Much to her dismay, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She sped up her pace. Come on… She could feel the train begin to slow, but they couldn't leave while being tailed. They'd just continue to be chased.

She ran, trying to put as much distance between her and these people as possible. Her heart raced. They couldn't get caught, not this far into this. With a sickening jolt, the train slid to a stop. Emi let out a gasp, losing her footing.

"Come on!" Hanzo shouted, dragging her to her feet. Not stopping to think about what she was doing, she pulled him out of the nearest door. Finally out on open land, she broke into a sprint. It was hard to think of anything other than the extreme need to flee. Trees lined the side of the train tracks, dark and dense. Without a moment of hesitation, she plunged into their depths. With luck they could lose their pursuers in there.

…

Sadao raced after Emi, heart pounding. They had to get away, and fast. There was no choice, even if he himself was in no danger in this form. With growing horror, he watched as a stray root dragged his friend off her feet once again. Hanzo had been falling behind, barely keeping away from their pursuers, so there was nothing anyone could do as she fell to the ground. Within seconds, the men were upon them.

"Come on girl, give up!" One sneered, another catching Hanzo. He let out a snarl, trembling betraying his true fear at these men.

"We know you're not like them," One crooned to Emi, "You're human like us. You've got to know how terrible these demons can be," His tone dropped to one of sympathy. Only Sadao's long history of dealing with less than savory individuals made him see it for the fakeness it was, "You have to know what they've done in Ente Isla… Why would you protect demons?"

Emi froze. "How… how do you know about Ente Isla?" She whispered.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" He gave her a sickeningly sweet smile, "It's where all of the True Cross Order are from originally," His voice filled with contempt, "Of course, the demons drove us out. We won't make the mistake of allowing them to exist in the same world as us ever again," So now they had a name for these mysterious people. The True Cross Order. Sadao found something oddly reassuring with the fact that these people were not originally from earth. They couldn't truly be associated with the people he'd met here that way.

Emi took a deep breath, before answering, "N-No," She croaked out. She gave the man a glare. An equally insidious glare grew across the man's face.

"You had your chance," He hissed out. He took a step forward, brandishing his weapon; a deadly sharp dagger.

Sadao took a step forward, instinctively reaching for the threat. The pull from the man was stronger than any he'd encountered in the crowds of the city. Without a second though, he let himself succumb to the pull. It just seemed right.

The world immediately seemed sharper, somehow. He looked down, seeing unfamiliar hands in place of his own. He couldn't have… Glancing up, the sight of Emi frozen in front of him settled the bizarre idea more securely into his mind.

"Run!" He growled out in a warped version of the man's voice. The other True Cross Order men shrank back, fear emanating from their bodies. Finally. He could feel the magic swelling within him. He could- he could do something now.

Summoning all his strength, he focused on the arrangement of space itself. He could feel it. There. With one final push, a familiar rip in the fabric of reality appeared before him.

"Go!" He dropped the human body he'd taken over, running into the portal and away from Earth itself.

* * *

 _ **First of all, don't worry. This story still has a good few chapters left before it's done. We are past the halfway point, however. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Either way, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. See you next week!**_


	8. The Devil And The Hero Return Home

**_...I'm sorry that took longer than expected. I'm debating changing my update day to Saturdays, since the extra free time on the day of updating would be really great. We'll see. Well, anyways. Read on!_**

* * *

Emi felt the land coming up under her before she saw it. The feeling of traveling by portal was still strange to her, despite having done it before, and yet that was the last thing on her mind. That voice, the one that had emerged garbled from the mouth of the man that had been trying to kill them as his skin melted off his writhing body. It stuck in her mind, trying to fill in a piece of information that couldn't possibly be true. Despite how warped and strange the words had been, the voice itself had been achingly familiar. She'd given up ever hearing it again not even a day before. It couldn't be him.

Finally she felt grass under her feet. Solid ground. As she looked up, however, she could not deny it anymore. There he stood in all his demonic glory. Sadao Maou. King Satan.

"Oh," She breathed, hesitant to move the distance towards the man who was her enemy (friend?), "You're- how?"

"I'm so glad that worked," He whispered, pure relief pouring out with his words. His shoulders sagged as if a huge weight had been taken off of them. He glanced around, eyes landing on someone behind her.

"We made it, sire," A second voice murmured. She spun around, catching sight of a head of blond hair on a familiar demonic form. They were alive. Both of them. How?

"We're actually back," Sadao said, finally seeming to take in their surroundings. It was strange for her, too. For a while there, she'd been convinced she'd never come back to Ente Isla, that she'd live out the rest of her existence on earth monitoring these demons.

Finally the fourth member of their group made himself known. A rustling of feathers was the only warning she got before a purple mass shot skyward. Wings unfurled as far as they could go, Hanzo circled far above their heads. She'd never really considered what it must have been like for him to lose his winged form on earth, had never particularly cared. However, now that she considered it, it became clear in her mind just what he'd lost living on earth.

Life on earth had been kind of nice for a while, free of the stresses of battling for her life on a daily bases, and yet it had taken away an important part of her. She reached backwards, pulling forward a lock of hair. Instead of the scarlet she'd recently grown used to, the pure white of what she'd once had stared back at her. They were back. They were truly back.

…

Sadao let out a sigh of relief as he felt the rush of magic hit him for the first time in years. Even when he'd managed to obtain magic on earth, it had been nothing like this. It was an amazing feeling, bringing with it strength he'd forgot he'd had.

"King Satan... Is it really you?" Sadao turned at the voice, distantly familiar from what felt like a lifetime ago but in reality was just a few years. A demon stood at the edge of the clearing they'd arrived in, staring. One of the survivors from his armies, if his memory was correct.

He nodded, slowly beginning to walk towards the other demon, "We've returned," The demon let out a whoop of joy, spinning back around and dashing out of sight. Sadao turned back to his companions, content to just watch as they too felt the pull of their magic returning to them. Only… Emi looked somewhat out of place amongst the greatly changed demons. Almost… nervous. She clutched the hilt of her sword tightly, giving the surroundings nervous glances. Hesitantly, Sadao began to walk towards her.

"Is everything… alright?" He asked, reaching out towards her. Her gaze flashed upwards, and she drew back. As if suddenly noticing he was there, the tension faded slightly out of her body. She hesitantly nodded.

"It's just… a little strange being back," She murmured, "Not necessarily bad, just… strange,"

Sadao nodded, understanding somewhat what she was talking about. They'd been on earth for so long that these new surroundings were a bit shocking. However, despite how strange it seemed, the return of his magic made up for everything.

The sounds of excitement broke him from his thoughts. He turned his head sharply, searching for the source of the noise. The vague shapes of demons appeared in the forest, getting closer with each second. That one demon… he must have told some others who he'd.

"Hey Emi," He said, her wariness betraying the fact that she, too, had noticed the movement, "I think it might be best if you went to find a human village soon," She nodded slightly, not taking her eyes off the shapes in the forest.

"Bye," She said quickly before walking off in the opposite directly. He watched as she retreated, only turning back around when she vanished from sight. He tried to ignore the sadness creeping into his mind. She needed to get back to her own kind. She couldn't stay.

"See? I told you he's back!" The demon was back again, followed by a good five others.

"Lord Satan!" One of the others gasped out, lowering himself into a bow. Rising back to his feet, the demon once again began to speak, "We've got so much to show you!"

…

Emi wandered the woods for hours before she finally came upon civilization. It was a small village, just a few houses, and yet even then the pure quiet that surrounded her was almost oppressive in nature. She took a few steps onto the first dirt street before tentatively calling out, "Hello?"

Her words echoed through the empty space. Finally, a flash of movement caught her attention. A small girl moved out from a propped open doorway. The child gave her a look of terror before turning on her heels back inside.

"Wait!" She called, not wanting to lose sight of the first person she'd seen since she returned. Running as fast as she could, she skidded to a stop in front of the still open door. Two small, gaunt looking faces peered back at her. Letting out a breath, she said, "Hey, do… do you know who's in charge of this village?" Maybe if she found the leader, she could find out where she was… The little girl shook her head before disappearing further into the house. The second child hung around a second longer before following his big sister.

Emi stared after the two before letting out a sigh. It looked like she'd have to find answers somewhere else. Before she could leave for good, however, the little boy came back dragging an older woman with him.

"Hello Miss," The woman said, her smile kind. Emi relaxed. This would be fine.

"Hello," She replied, "You… wouldn't happen to be able to show me who's in charge in this village, would you?" The woman shook her head, smile dropping from her face.

"I'm sorry… I don't think I can help you… You see, we're the only ones left…" The woman whispered, staring at the ground.

"Oh," Emi said, not sure what to think, "What happened here?" She asked hesitantly.

"They, like everyone else, left once people started getting sick," She replied.

"Sick?" Emi repeated, feeling like she was missing something.

"You don't-" The woman paused, suddenly looking wary, "How do you not know?"

"I've… been away for awhile," She replied, not sure how to reply. How did one explain being in another dimension for years?

"Let me show you," The woman whispered, ducking back into the house. Hesitantly, Emi followed after her. Rounding another corner, the two came into a new room. Who Emi assumed were the woman's two children followed after them wordlessly. "Here," The woman said, directing Emi towards a bed in the far corner. A small lump sat unmoving under its covers. Emi wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore.

Finally forcing herself to move, Emi moved towards the side of the bed. Looking down at the tiny form, she struggled to keep her cool. The small child's breath wheezed out of her tiny lungs with obvious effort. Her skin was dotted with open sores, a strange pink-tinged liquid oozing out of them and crusting at the edges.

"She hasn't got much longer now," The woman said, voice cracking. Emi turned back to her, trying to ignore the tears on the woman's face glistening in the fading light.

"Where… you said everyone left. Where did they go?" Emi asked, trying to avoid talking about the dying child in the bed beside her. She couldn't lose focus quite yet.

"Everyone who's still left is heading to the capital city on the middle island," The woman said, "It's the only place that the demons can't get to yet,"

"Wait, why are the demons a problem?" Emi asked, not sure she truly wanted the answer. Were all her former sacrifices for nothing? "Weren't they defeated years ago?" The woman shook her head sadly.

"Yes, but not forever. After everyone began to get sick…" The woman shuddered, "It's hard to fight such an enemy with so few of us left,"

"Oh…" Emi whispered. Why couldn't humans even have a decade of peace before something like this happened? "Can- can you at least show me where to go?" The woman nodded.

"Of course. But stay here for the night," The woman said, a small smile coming back to her face.

"Alright," Emi said. It was a huge relief, having somewhere to stay with other humans. A thought occurred to her, and she stuck out her hand, "My name's Emil- Emi," She didn't want to go back to being Emilia the Hero again just yet. Emi was good enough for now. The woman took her hand, giving it a gentle shake.

"My name's Mia,"

…

Sadao found his current situation somewhat strange, but also calming. He'd been guided to a large makeshift room, surrounded by those he recognised as somewhat high up members of his old army.

"So it seems what these young ones told us are true," One said, looking up at his old leader. Sadao nodded, straightening up. He'd been away for such a long while, these demons needed to see him at his strongest if he was to properly take up his old role.

"Does his majesty know of what's gone on since his absence?" Another asked.

"Please inform me," He demanded, meeting the other demon's eyes briefly before her gaze darted away.

"We've almost done it!" Another demon interrupted before the previous one could answer his question, "Ente Isla is almost ours!" Sadao stared at him, trying to keep his surprise from becoming apparent.

"How did that happen?" He asked, keeping his reply as emotionless as possible. Despite how much he used to be able to control his emotions, his time among humans had made his skills rusty.

"The humans have mostly died out," One of the demons said, clearly amused, "It was easy! The only thing left is to kill those left in their last stronghold and we'll have won!" He wasn't sure how to reply to that. His stomach turned at the demon's words. Back before earth, the idea would have amused him, but now…

"I- Tell me everything,"

* * *

 _ **Alrighty! And there's chapter 8! I hope you all enjoyed it. It's kind of weird to think about, but this fanfiction only has about 3 chapters left until it's completely done... For years I didn't think I'd actually finish this fanfiction, so the fact that the end is so near is kind of strange... Well either way. If you don't mind commenting, please do. I love hearing from you all. Until next time!**_


	9. The Devil And The Hero Adjust

**_Hi guys. We're getting pretty close to the end here. I'm not sure what to think about that... Well anyways, read on!_**

* * *

"What do you mean, you refuse to allow us to slaughter the humans!" The sound of a demon's shout caused Sada- Satan, he had to remember he was King Satan again, to cringe inwardly.

"Exactly what I said," He replied coolly, "I heard your plan, and I refuse to allow it." He'd been sitting in the room for hours, listening to the demons go over every inch of their gruesomely detailed plan. What they'd wanted to do to the humans was absolutely horrifying, especially after having lived as one.

Cries of outrage echoed across the room at his statement. Satan shot them a glare, and the voices calmed down somewhat. Finally, one voice spoke up again.

"So what do you suggest we do, oh great King?" The demon sneered. Satan paused, carefully considering, before speaking. The idea had been there, in the back of his mind, since the discussion started, but would the demons go along with it? Would the humans? With a heaviness in his heart, he began.

"I believe that the humans should be relocated. I think you need to hear about where I've been all these years."

…

Emi woke up the next morning to the sound of crying. Though she denied it to herself as she changed into a pair of relatively clean clothing the woman, Mia, had lent her, she had a gut feeling she knew why. All that she could see was the image of that child, barely able to breath. She had to get to the place where most of her people took refuge. She'd been gone so long, but now more than ever they needed her.

Carefully packing up the few of her things she had out, she cautiously made her way out of the room she'd slept in. The house had gone silent. Venturing farther from the room, the open front door caught her eye. Letting out a shaky breath, Emi stepped through the doorway.

Mia's form was easy to miss at first. Hunched down in the yard, her small frame barely moved. Only the sound of scraping drew attention to where she crouched. Emi's eyes, however, could not miss the tiny form wrapped in a light colored sheet that lay next to Mia. Careful not to disturb the woman's grieving, Emi slowly walked up behind her.

"Do you need any help?" She asked, keeping her gaze on the deepening hole in this woman's yard. Mia shook her head.

"This- this is something I need to do myself," Mia rasped out. Even as her hands shook, she kept digging. Emi took a step back, unable to look away but unwilling to interfere. It would be wrong to interfere. The silence stretched on for what felt like hours, before Mia finally stepped back from the hole she'd dug. Not 6 feet, it would be impossible to dig that deep with the limited tools she had with her, but deep enough.

Emi closed her eyes, suddenly feeling like it was wrong to impose herself on this moment, as the woman wrapped her arms around the contents of the wrapped up sheet. She felt sick. She'd know hardship before going to earth, known death, but her time among the much more peaceable humans there had lessened her ability to push the emotions away.

Finally, the sounds of scraping brought her back to reality. She turned around, ready to leave the woman in peace, but Mia's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"I-I need a little time, but..." Mia took a shaky breath before continuing, "You asked me to show you how to get to where the humans are. I'll- I'll do better. I'll bring you there myself. Just promise to help me keep my remaining children safe," Emi nodded; first hesitantly, then resolutely. She wouldn't let this woman down.

…

It hadn't been as hard to convince the other demons to go along with his plan as he'd thought. They'd been so ready for revenge for the years of defeat they'd suffered that it seemed impossible for them to want to settle for anything other than death. The plan had actually gone over quite well with the demon army. By the end of the night, everything was in place. They'd begin their march to the last human stronghold the next morning.

The sun rose far too soon. Satan forced himself to his feet, donning the armor he'd not worn in years. Everything since he'd arrived at Ente Isla felt like a blur. Time was moving so fast. He let out a deep breath, trying to numb his mind to the memories of the humans he'd known on Earth. He stepped out into the sunlight; his army was waiting. Everyone had been up for hours, preparing to move out. As he came into view, the demons stopped what they were doing. He had their full attention.

His throat felt dry. It'd been so long since he'd done this, but… They needed to hear him speak. He cleared his throat, and began. "The day had come," His voice rose, booming out across the crowds as he finally found words, "The day we've been waiting to see for years. After today, the humans will be gone from Ente Isla for good. After today, Ente Isla will be ours!" The roaring cheers of the troops in front of him couldn't quite drown out the guilt he felt. Despite his guilt, as soon as the cheers died down he sealed the humans' doom. "Get ready to move out!"

…

"I think- I think I'm ready now," Mia murmured, slowly getting to her feet from where she sat by the tiny grave. Emi nodded at her words. Despite her earlier intentions to leave the woman to her grief, after being told Mia and her two remaining children would be accompanying her she couldn't bring herself to leave the woman alone.

In silence, the two made their way back into Mia's home. Mia began to pack, ignoring the questions from the son and daughter that hovered around her. Something had gone from the woman, something that had been buried underground with her child. Emi could see it in her eyes. All fear was gone. It had been replaced instead with determination. While she knew ignoring the pain of grief would just bring more pain to this woman in the long run, Emi couldn't bring herself to comment on it. She knew this new sense of determination would help Mia get herself to a place she would be safe to grieve. It may have been unhealthy, but it would work.

"Let's go," Mia said, carefully grabbing her children by the hands.

"Alright," Emi responded, following the woman as the group of four took their first steps on the road to humanity's last stronghold.

* * *

 _ **So I said last time that there were only three chapters left including this one, but there's a possibility the next chapter might be split in two... It's looking like it'll turn out quite long. Either way, we'll see. And to clarify, the last chapter is technically an epilogue. We're so close to the end of this thing now. I've loved writing this story, no matter how chaotic the years since I first started the original have been. But no, I'm not going to get all nostalgic quite yet. I'll save that for when I post the last chapter. If you have time, like always I'd love to see people's comments. Until next time!**_


	10. The Hero Realizes The Past Is The Past

_**Welp, as I thought this final bit is going to be split in two. So after this, you get one more regular chapter and an epilogue.**_

* * *

Emi couldn't remember the last time she'd walked this far. The ache of her feet and the weight of the child being carried on her back were making their presence known. Even so, she pressed on. Sometime during their long trek, a sense of urgency had worked its way into her brain until she couldn't do anything but keep moving. Mia's children had grown tired, but even then they didn't stop. Mia had protested, but something in Emi's look had melted away the protest. Instead, the two children came to rest on their backs. She wasn't sure if the girl on her back was still awake, but it didn't matter at the moment. They pressed on in silence.

Finally, Emi slowed. The castle was finally visible in all its glory. It struck an imposing figure, hidden in shadow by the sinking sun.

"We're almost there," Mia's whispered words reached her ears, awed by the sight before her. Emi nodded.

"No time to stop," She replied, "Who knows what's out here," They hadn't encountered any troubles yet on their journey, but all she could think about were Mia's words the night before. Emi let out a sigh. Of course the demons wouldn't have stopped after their leader left. What had she expected? And what of their leader now? She knew he'd rejoined his kind. He had to have learned from his time on Earth, right? She could only hope it was true. The idea of fighting him now after having fought at his side wasn't as appealing as it had once been. But no. She'd do what she had to, no matter what.

They kept walking.

…

Satan couldn't bring himself to look back at his troops, and yet he kept moving forward. He could feel Alciel's worried looks, cast at him regularly every few minutes. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore it.

He could see the turrets of the humans' castle towering up above everything around it. He pushed away his doubts, refusing to listen to the niggling voice in his head warning him against this. It was either this or his demons killed the humans, he reminded himself as if the reasoning behind his actions would make a difference. No. It was too late for doubts now.

The army marched on.

…

Finally Emi came before the large gates. The castle walls reached up far above her head, seemingly unyielding to everything. She steeled herself, before calling up to whoever was in charge of the gate. Emilia the Hero would finally have to be back.

"Hello!" She shouted, craning her head back to look upwards. A faintly visible silhouette leaned out, peering down at them.

"Who's there?" The man called down. Mia stepped up, responding to the man.

"Please! We're refugees from one of the nearby villages! My children need safety!" She called up to him, voice showing her desperation. The man's silhouette disappeared, and the gate in front of them cracked open. A woman stepped out, smiling spreading across her face when she saw who was there.

"Mia! Thank the gods you're alright!" The woman stepped forward, pulling Mia into a hug. Emilia stepped back, not wanting to interrupt the happy moment. "I thought I might never see you again," The whispered words reached Emilia's ears anyways, despite her distance.

Finally, the two women broke apart, and the strange woman faced Emilia, "Welcome. I think it might be best if the two of you came inside,"

"Thank you," Emilia said, and the woman turned back inside. Hesitantly, she followed behind.

The building was just as giant on the inside as on the outside. It had signs that once upon a time, it had been a magnificent palace. Now, however, the building had been run down. The walls were still strong, but it had lost its sense of grandeur. The halls, instead of being filled with expensive furnishings and tapestries, had been converted into space for mankind's last strong people. From the rooms to each side, she could help but hear the wheezing breaths or smell the scent of blood thick in the air. Her heart twisted. She'd been away too long.

"This way. The leaders have asked to see everyone new as they come in. I think they're looking for someone…" The woman said, gesturing to another branching hallway. The group continued on their way. Down this hallway there were less refugees, but it couldn't push the images from her head.

Soon after, they made a final turn into a decently sized room. A group of people stood to one side, whispering frantically. The woman let out a forced cough, and the whispers cut off.

"I believed you may have wanted to see our newest guests," She said as all attention shifted to the newcomers. One in particular let out a gasp of astonishment.

"Emilia!" The girl gasped, running forward and enveloping her in a hug, "How are you here?!"

"Emeralda, it's good to see you," She whispered, returning the girl's embrace, "Something happened on Earth. We couldn't stay," Emeralda froze, leaning back from the hug.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" She asked cautiously.

"You know who I mean," Emilia whispered, "We- we became friends. I didn't know what was happening here,"

"So the Devil's back in Ente Isla," Emeralda said, shaking her head, "Yet another problem to add to our growing list of problems," Emilia looked down. Please, please let his time on Earth be enough to make him content to just live, she thought to herself.

…

Satan watched as his army began to to set up a camp of sorts. Despite his speech that morning, the sun had began to set to the point where any sort of attempt on an attack now would be pointless. With the morning sun behind them, it would be much easier to do whatever they had to quickly. He let out a sigh. Chances were, the next day would end with bloodshed. He could only hope this wouldn't be the case. If the humans had already been pushed this far, he didn't want to shrink their numbers any further. The loss they had already suffered was enough. They'd listen, wouldn't they?

He shook his head, heading into his already prepared tent. Tomorrow. Until then, he'd try his best to push these thoughts from his head.

…

The reunion was interrupted quite suddenly. One minute, Emilia had been talking to Emeralda, the next the door had been violently flung open. A pale faced young man, almost a boy, stumbled in. Emeralda spun around, staring at the boy.

"The Demons," He whispered, eyes wide with fright, "A huge group has gathered out in the fields," Emilia stared at him with horror. Not even two days. They'd been back not even two days. It couldn't be him, could it?

"An army?" Emeralda asked, almost too calm for the situation at hand. Almost like she'd expected it.

"Yes," Emilia closed her eyes. Despite how much she wanted to deny it, the timing was too perfect. The past was the past, and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

 ** _This is kind of really strange for me... Within two weeks from today, I'll have finished this story for good. That just seems absurd to me... But it's the truth. Anyways. I hope to see everyone next week for the final regular chapter._**


End file.
